The $250 million facility intercepts 24 existing pumping stations and diverts the flow through a new 16.5km-long network.

The massive project also includes a 1.8m diametre micro-tunnelled deep gravity sewer, which discharges to a terminal lifting station located at the head of the new sewage treatment plant (STP).

The plant, which was built on reclaimed land, has a capacity of 100,000cu m per day.

The STP facility has a long sea outfall that will be used to discharge any unused treated effluent (TSE) and any bypass flows to the sea.

The site also includes a new sludge incinerator plant to treat the sludge from the sewage treatment plant.

Inaugurating the plant, the Premier said a string of developments were in the pipeline across Bahrain, with a special focus on Muharraq.

"The development schemes are part of a wide-ranging strategy to build 'Bahrain of the Future' and keep abreast of global cutting-edge technologies," he said.

He hailed the new milestone as part of the government's long-term strategy to promote sustainable development.

"We are looking forward to building a modern kingdom which avails of all services and amenities to meet citizens' needs," he said, adding that the ultimate goal of projects is to ensure quality life and push the development momentum forward.

Works Minister Essam Khalaf said the Muharraq STP, implemented by a coalition of three private sector institutions - Samsung Engineering, Invest AD and United, is part of the ministry's strategic plan for sanitary services prepared in 2010 and approved by the Cabinet.

Samsung Engineering chief executive and Muharraq STP representative said that the 157,000sqm plant has a lifespan of 27 years and capacity to deal with an estimated 100m litres of sewage per day. - TradeArabia News Service